Mastering Your Own Mixes FAQ

Will mastering help you sell millions of copies of your music? Probably not, but it WILL make your mixes sound as good as possible…if you do it right.

So today Graham Cochrane and I tackle the issue of self-mastering over on the Simply Recording Podcast.

Here are some popular questions we answer on the show:

Question: What IS mastering?

Answer: As my buddy Ian Shepherd puts it, mastering is like Photoshop for audio. It takes a great mix and enhances it. It does NOT take a lame mix and make it sound awesome.

Question: Is it bad if I master my own mixes?

Answer: Not necessarily. I’ve mastered plenty of my own mixes. I’ve also sent them off to be mastered by someone else. There are pros and cons to both, which we dive into in the podcast.

Question: Can I master songs in my current DAW or do I need special mastering software?

Answer: I’ve mastered in Pro Tools and Studio One primarily. I’ve nevered used Peak or Waveburner or Wavelab, or any of those dedicated mastering platforms. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with them, but you CAN master your tracks in the DAW you currently own.